VALE RONALD RYAN (Febuary 1976)
Ronald Ryan was the last person hanged in Victoria.
Shortly after hanging was abolished in Australia.
The barbarism of the procedure,
worse than any Greek tragedy.
No, this wasn't theatre,
this was murder!
We hanged a man to satisfy
a drunken premier's whim.
Therefore the sin of omission
rests with him;
Not the man who pulled the lever.
poem by Jerry Hughes
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Lines in Defence of the Stage
Good people of high and low degree,
I pray ye all be advised by me,
And don't believe what the clergy doth say,
That by going to the theatre you will be led astray.
No, in the theatre we see vice punished and virtue rewarded,
The villain either hanged or shot, and his career retarded;
Therefore the theatre is useful in every way,
And has no inducement to lead the people astray.
Because therein we see the end of the bad men,
Which must appall the audience - deny it who can
Which will help to retard them from going astray,
While witnessing in a theatre a moral play.
The theatre ought to be encouraged in every respect,
Because example is better than precept,
And is bound to have a greater effect
On the minds of theatre-goers in every respect.
Sometimes in theatres, guilty creatures there have been
Struck to the soul by the cunning of the scene;
By witnessing a play wherein murder is enacted,
They were proven to be murderers, they felt so distracted,
And left the theatre, they felt so much fear,
Such has been the case, so says Shakespeare.
And such is my opinion, I will venture to say,
That murderers will quake with fear on seeing murder in a play.
Hamlet discovered his father's murderer by a play
That he composed for the purpose, without dismay,
And the king, his uncle, couldn't endure to see that play,
And he withdrew from the scene without delay.
And by that play the murder was found out,
And clearly proven, without any doubt;
Therefore, stage representation has a greater effect
On the minds of the people than religious precept.
We see in Shakespeare's tragedy of Othello, which is sublime,
Cassio losing his lieutenancy through drinking wine;
And, in delirium and grief, he exclaims -
"Oh, that men should put an enemy in their mouths to steal away their brains!"
A young man in London went to the theatre one night
To see the play of George Barnwell, and he got a great fright;
He saw George Barnwell murder his uncle in the play,
And he had resolved to murder his uncle, but was stricken with dismay.
But when he saw George Barnwell was to be hung
The dread of murdering his uncle tenaciously to him clung,
That he couldn't murder and rob his uncle dear,
Because the play he saw enacted filled his heart with fear.
And, in conclusion, I will say without dismay,
Visit the theatre without delay,
Because the theatre is a school of morality,
And hasn't the least tendency to lead to prodigality.
poem by William Topaz McGonagall
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Victoria
Long ago life was clean
Sex was bad and obscene
And the rich were so mean
Stately homes for the lords
Croquet lawns, village greens
Victoria was my queen
Victoria, victoria, victoria, toria
I was born, lucky me
In a land that I love
Though I am poor, I am free
When I grow I shall fight
For this land I shall die
Let her sun never set
Victoria, victoria, victoria, toria
Victoria, victoria, victoria, toria
Land of hope and gloria
Land of my victoria
Land of hope and gloria
Land of my victoria
Victoria, toria
Victoria, victoria, victoria, toria
Canada to india
Australia to cornwall
Singapore to hong kong
From the west to the east
From the rich to the poor
Victoria loved them all
Victoria, victoria, victoria, toria
Victoria, victoria, victoria
song performed by by Kinks
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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When the wind started blowing in the afternoon
When the wind started blowing in the afternoon,
some African red-knobbed coots rose in a screaming row,
while the sun hanged over the water red like fire
and the twilight only lasted moments
while they flew past with slapping wings,
when the wind started blowing in the afternoon,
I felt a light breeze blowing against my cheek,
there was serenity and peace that came to me
while the sun hanged over the water red like fire,
there was a kind of bliss in nature
when dappled Egyptian goose also tried to avoid me,
when the wind started blowing in the afternoon,
I was caught by the sheer beauty,
I heard the call of birds cutting through the reeds,
while the sun hanged over the water red like fire
while the sky was darker and no more azure,
while ducks glide magically through the water,
when the wind started blowing in the afternoon,
the sun hanged over the water red like fire.
poem by Gert Strydom
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Ballade of the hours of night
Our love had bloomed fully
when naked you came to me
with a small towel covering you,
when it fell from your body
and your eyes caught mine glittering,
when silence hanged luring between us.
There was a kind of hunger and thirst in me,
when your lips found mine,
with your hair braiding through my fingers
when the alarm slowly counted the time
and we both were longing for something eternal,
when silence hanged luring between us.
Like falling rain was the smell of us both
on the big old fluffy blanket
with your legs and arms crossed over me,
when my heartbeats sounded in my ears,
and there was a much deeper more intense urge
when silence hanged luring between us.
poem by Gert Strydom
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The person who is tired will find time to sleep. A person with a bad name is already half hanged.
A person with a bad name is already half-hanged.
Almighty God (in reply to Louis Esterhuizen)
Lord, You that keep the universe in your hands
who are even aware of the sparrow, the finch,
the dew hanging on pieces of grass,
every star that shines in the heavenly dome
say that You have made man
just less than a godly being
and at times I wonder how every terrible thing bothers You,
from the day that man committed sin?
Where You came as the sacrifice for man’s fate,
tried to teach us to live together in love,
and hanged silent like a lamb on the cross,
but still people view You as a God that does not forgive:
how do we hurt You with our poems,
where we make misfortune, murder and death your plague control.
poem by Gert Strydom
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Exe
there were pictures on the faces
pictures words clear on faces vague
they let them let hang like birds wet
pinned on the wire to dry they hanged them
each edge bridge thought
the water was a suicidal thing
but it was the what they hanged
already dead drip dropp dripping
crossing cursed scar scanned x rayed
through evil hands of time
into a sound beautiful caress
hugged and kissed comforted alive
poem by Miroslava Odalovic
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Theatre is expensive to go to. I certainly felt when I was growing up that theatre wasn't for us. Theatre still has that stigma to it. A lot of people feel intimidated and underrepresented in theatre.
quote by Christopher Eccleston
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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E. C. B.
Before the grass grew over me,
I knew one good man through and through,
And knew a soul and body joined
Are stronger than the heavens are blue.
A wisdom worthy of thy joy,
O great heart, read I as I ran;
Now, though men smite me on the face,
I cannot curse the face of man.
I loved the man I saw yestreen
Hanged with his babe's blood on his palms.
I loved the man I saw to-day
Who knocked not when he came with alms.
Hush! - for thy sake I even faced
The knowledge that is worse than hell;
And loved the man I saw but now
Hanging head downwards in the well.
poem by G.K. Chesterton from The Wild Knight and Other Poems (1900)
Submitted by Veronica Serbanoiu
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Knife
Slit and
Slither knife
Penetrate in phallic push
To perforate the pulse of tissues in the flesh
Slice a vein to drain the unsuspecting victim
E’er they bleed and plea
Their scream
Of death
Copyright © Mark R Slaughter 2010
murder
murder murder
murder murder
murder murder murder murder murder murder
murder murder murder murder murder murder murder
murder murder murder murder murder murder
murder murder
murder murder
murder
poem by Mark R Slaughter
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It Nods and Curtseys and Recovers
It nods and curtseys and recovers
When the wind blows above,
The nettle on the graves of lovers
That hanged themselves for love.
The nettle nods, the wind blows over,
The man, he does not move,
The lover of the grave, the lover
That hanged himself for love.
poem by Alfred Edward Housman
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First Encounter - Faridah Merican
faridah merican
her home is where
the theatre is
never liking what some
politicians do to
nation and her brood (people of Malaysia)
premier love
the english language
then theatre that lets it sparkle
every cell comes alive
in the world of dance
and performances
does not want malaysians
to be shortchanged
by crafty politicians
first met at her new theatre in Sentul in mid 2000.
poem by John Tiong Chunghoo
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It takes two to make a murder. There are born victims, born to have their throats cut, as the cut-throats are born to be hanged.
quote by Aldous Huxley
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Lully, Lulley
Lully, lulley, lully, lulley,
The faucon hath borne my make away.
He bare him up, he bare him down,
He bare him into an orchard brown.
In that orchard there was an halle
That hanged with purpill and pall.
And in that hall there was a bede;
It was hanged with gold so rede.
And in that bed there lithe a knight,
His woundes bleding day and night.
By that bede side kneleth a may,
And she wepeth both night and day.
And by that bede side there stondeth a stone,
Corpus Christi wreten there on.
poem by Anonymous Americas
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When I got traded to the California Angels, I really wasn't that excited about going to the Angels because it meant changing leagues and also a whole new set of teammates. But shortly after I got there I realized that it was one of the best things that ever happened to me.
quote by Nolan Ryan
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Broadmindedness
How narrow his vision, how cribbed and confined!
How prejudiced all of his views!
How hard is the shell of his bigoted mind!
How difficult he to excuse!
His face should be slapped and his head should be banged;
A person like that ought to die!
I want to be fair, but a man should be hanged
Who's any less liberal than I.
poem by Franklin P. Adams
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Faith That Echoes Hollowly
Her mind quickly flips through her memory
reminding her of the constant rain
pouring out from her eyes
but tonight her eyes were dry as the desert
her heart that swung like a broken swing
hanging onto it's last link
her heart felt for the poor swing
hanging on so tightly
but both felt faith
like the umbrella that helped put faith in her
to ignore the unbearable rain
the faith she once had in him
hanged with an echo of hollowness
poem by Alecia Nak
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Well, I'm not going to go into what the letter says, because the police are looking at that. But as you say it's in Bahasa. But of course that's not to suggest that the letter came from outside of Australia. It came from in Australia. It came from Victoria.
quote by Alexander Downer
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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